The authors have done an excellent job explaining the development and practice of Socially Responsible Investment (SRI). Under the recent recognition of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Asia and its strong emphasis by US and European corporations, this book provides important guidance to students and professionals who are interested in the effects and implications of SRI. This book is truly informative and should be on the reading list of all fund managers and CFOs of international corporations which are serious about CSR. Louis T.W. Cheng, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Individual investors and corporate heads have the responsibility to keep abreast of major changes in the marketplace. Socially responsible investment is one of those changes. Fung, Law and Yau provide, in a single source, a great opportunity to get up to date on an area that will be a force for years to come. I encourage any thoughtful investor or manager to read this book. Thomas Schneeweis, University of Massachusetts Amherst, US Socially responsible investment (SRI) is becoming increasingly popular and can be potentially rewarding to all parties concerned. This book discusses the opportunities, challenges, and practices of SRI in a global financial environment in a consistent and integrated framework of risk management. It also covers a wide variety of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues related to various participants, such as values-based retail, institutional investors, corporations, banks, supranational agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Readers are provided with the perspectives of SRI from various players in the financial community from values-based investors to fiduciaries to supranational agencies. The authors analyse the incorporation of ESG issues into investment practices within a regulatory, legal, reputational, and operational risk management framework. Academics, corporate executives, government regulators and policymakers, bankers, and non-governmental organizations involved with sustainable development will find much of interest in this book.

Over recent years there has been rapid consumer-led growth in investing in socially responsible companies to the extent that it has had an influence on corporate policies. New regulations recognise the public interest by requiring all pension funds to declare their ethical policy. Investors can no longer just consider the financial aspects of a company before investing but also have to consider the complex world of ethical investments. Should the ethical policy take precedence over the financial aspects? Should policies be inclusive or exclusive? What percentage of a company's income has to come from unacceptable sources before the source is excluded? Should any exclusion policy also extend to those involved in selling or transporting goods deemed unacceptable? This is the first book to look at socially responsible investment from the perspective of the institutional investor, who will be led through the complex dilemmas of socially responsible investment with practical examples and advice.

Generate a good return as well as goodwill with this guide to ethical investments Want to make money while you make a difference in the world? Socially Responsible Investing For Dummies, a 2010 Green Book Festival award winner, is as practical, hands-on guide to smart social investing that shows you how to maximize your profits while remaining true to your values. You get expert advice in targeting an issue you're passionate about, researching potential investments, and putting your socially responsible choices into action. Get started with social investing basics — understand what it is, why it works, and how investors define social responsibility Navigate the socially responsible enterprise — discover the business principles that help ethical organizations thrive Conduct your research — determine whether an investment has financial potential and also serves your personal needs Evaluate your investment choices — from stocks and bonds to mutual funds and ETFs to real estate and high finance, select the best investments and adjust your portfolio over time Get help from the pros — find brokers, financial planners, and mutual fund companies that can help you with your decisions Ensure your success — see how to diversify, monitor your investments, join forces with others, vote your proxies, keep your perspective, and more Keep up with investment trends — discover how to take advantage of new investment products and stay on top of industry changes Recognize truly socially responsible investments — understand how to tell socially responsible investment opportunities from "feel good" opportunities In Socially Responsible Investing For Dummies you will find: A clear introduction to social investing Issues to invest in, from environmental to international The different types of investments How to buy and sell Fiduciary responsibilities for the social investor How to use your investment clout to influence a company's performance Ten social investing traps you must avoid Activist investing success stories

Ethical investment has made great strides in recent years, but many professional investors and most IFAs (from whom the majority of the public still get their investment advice) remain unsure about this fast growing sector. This book helps professionals to: Understand the ethical dimension in investment and, in particular, the economic and investment value considerations that underpin investments with an ethical and socially responsible focus Include consideration of the ethical dimension in their 'know your client' process Analyse and summarise their client's ethical concerns and priorities and how these translate to investment considerations Select ethical and socially responsible funds whose profiles best match their clients' concerns and priorities

Environmental harm is commonly associated with companies that extract, consume, and pollute our shared natural resources. Rarely are the 'unseen polluters,' the financiers that sponsor and profit from eco-damaging corporations, placed at the forefront of the environmental debate. By focusing on these unseen polluters, Benjamin Richardson provides a comprehensive examination of socially responsible investment (SRI), and offers a guide to possible reform. Richardson proposes that greater regulatory supervision of SRI will help ensure that the financial sector prioritizes ethically-based investments. In Socially Responsible Investment Law, he suggests that new governmental reforms should encourage companies to participate in socially responsible investments by providing a better mix of standards and incentives for SRI through measures that include redefining the fiduciary responsibilities of institutional investors to incorporate environmental concerns. By doing so, Richardson posits that corporate financiers, including banks, hedge funds, and pension plans, will become more accountable to the goals of ensuring sustainable development.

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2009 in the subject Business economics - Investment and Finance, grade: 1,7, European School of Business Reutlingen (Hochschule Reutlingen), language: English, abstract: The ecologic crisis of our Planet is foreseeable. Making money with it, or even better making money by preventing the disaster, will sell. This thesis shall evaluate the effectiveness of environmentally friendly investments and provide an outlook on future perspectives. The topic has become very popular due to a general reorientation to ethical values and particularly, because of the questionable ethical behavior of many financial players in the current world economic crisis. The indicators reveal a strong and continuous growth in the market of environmentally friendly investments. For this reason, the financial sector now copes with the topic more intensively. Whether this leads to improvements for investors through stronger performance or for managers of sustainable projects due to better financial conditions depends on the developments of standardization and the quality assessment processes. This work starts with the clearing of uncertainties related to the core terminology and presents the numerous investment possibilities with their corresponding ecological impact. The main challenge the environmentally friendly investment market is facing, is the need for more transparency; in the assessment criteria and their weighting, in methods, and in the application of funds. Subsequently, the credibility of these investments has to be increased. These statements are confirmed by a survey (cf. chapter 6). The survey reveals furthermore that financial consultants regard the issue as relevant for their job, but lack information to promote these investments. There is an urgent need to implement new ideas in order to lower the risks for the environment and to satisfy the financial market's need at the same time. Therefore, concepts are presented that try to meet these de

One of the most important activities of enterprises today is responsible entrepreneurship. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities can help to forge a stronger bond between employees and corporations, can boost morale, and can help both employees and employers feel more connected with the world around them. Moreover, the growing importance of this concept results from the fact that it is perceived as an effective tool for increasing competitiveness, improving the image of the company, or contributing to the generation of higher profits. In today’s world, an active commitment to social responsibility is becoming more common for a company. CSR and Socially Responsible Investing Strategies in Transitioning and Emerging Economies is an essential reference source that identifies the scale and scope of implementation of CSR and socially responsible investing strategies and standards in companies operating in different transitioning and emerging economies as well as assessing the global effects of these activities. Featuring research on topics such as economic growth, responsible investing, and business ethics, this book is ideally designed for managers, executives, directors, corporate professionals, government officials, industry leaders, academicians, students, and researchers in the fields of international economics, international business, marketing, finance management, and public relations.

Today's hottest investing trend. More than ever, people want their money investments to reflect their personal or political leanings. But how do they find out which companies are "socially responsible?" Do these "green" investments perform as well as traditional investments? How can they protect themselves from mutual funds or 401Ks that are managed without the future in mind? All these questions and more are answered by an international expert who founded the SRI World Group, one of the largest information services on SRI. * Includes detailed information about SRI, its history and where it's headed * Explains the criteria used to evaluate a company's level of social responsibility * Compares performance of SRI to traditional investments

This book integrates socially responsible investment into modern portfolio theory from a multi-criteria perspective. Socially responsible investment is a “new deal” championed by the institutional investment and bank sectors, agents that influence mutual funds and other collective investment schemes and which fear that financial strategies without ethical constraints can harm sustainable growth and prosperity. The book shows how to combine financial criteria such as profitability and risk with non-financial criteria such as the protection of the ecosystem, responsible consumption of energy, and healthcare campaigns. The book’s first part presents critical issues in ethical investment, while the second explains in detail the application of goal programming techniques for SRI funds, illustrating their use in actual cases. Part three demonstrates how compromise programming can be applied in the contexts of portfolio selection and risk management. Finally, in its fourth part the book examines the application of other decision-making support methods like the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework, the Reference Point Method, and soft computing techniques for portfolio selection.

Does Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) affect society in the 21st century? This book explores various facets of SRI to address its potential and limits to create societal change. Little research has been undertaken on the societal impacts of SRI. With this book we contribute to this debate, pushing the boundaries of SRI even further.